Process of making phosphorus.



UNITED STATES Plgns'r o FIGEQ GILBERT C; LANDIS, OF YORK, .PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PHOSPHORUS COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

- PROCESS OF MAKING PHOSPHOBUS.

No. s'sepee.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT C. LAN-DIS, a citizen of the United States,residing in York, Pennsylvania,'

have invented certain Improvements in Processes of Making Phosphorus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Heretofore, in the manufacture of phosphorus in an electrical furnacetwo methods have usually been employed, one toreduce'the ingredientsto apowder which would be passed through a screen of about 80 mesh;thefother to reduce the material into small lumps and powder, thelargest lumps being of such size as to pass through a screen of about aquarter inch mesh. Thislast method is the one in use at the present timeand a temperature of about 3500 degrees Fahrenheit is necessaryto'obtain a continuous operation of the furnace. Thisexcessivetemperature will in many instances cause secondary reaction which ,willkill a portion of the phosphorus vapor and, in-

-" place of obtaining elementary phosphorus, compounds of the materialit can be reduced at a temperature in the furnace of about 2700 degreesFahrenheit. At this temperature the furnace can run continuously and thephosphorus will come over into the containare d, one independently ofthe other, and each calcined at a red heat, preferably in a rotarycalcin ers in its ultimate state. i

In carrying out my invention the ingredients, such-- for instanceasphosphates, sand, silicate and coke,

ing furnace. Then each ingredient is ground so that it will pass througha screen of about 80 mesh, when a proper amount of each ingredient isweighed out and the several ingredients are put into the mechanicalmixer and thoroughly mixed. A suitable bond is added so as to unite theseveral ingredients. "After the material is thoroughly mixed it isformed into briquets of any size desired, preferably oblong in shape andabout an inch in length. If a bond is used containing water then thebriquets are thoroughly dried before being put into the electricalfurnace. The briquets may, how ever', be mixed dry with a suitable bond,or a bond of tar may be used, if desirable.

Thus each briquet is formed of material of the same size. and as theseveral. ingredients are thoroughly mixed and incorporatedin the briquetI obtain Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April9,1907. Serial No 867,211.

Patented July 2, 1907.

best possible result when the material is fed in this form intoan.electrical furnace, as the electrical current will act upon thesurface of each briquet gradually reducing the briquet, one particle ofmaterial not being reduced quicker than another and as the mate- I rialis held in the briquet until it is completely reduced there is verylittle of the powder carried over in an unreduced state and, owing tothe fact that I am enabled to reduce the current, I prevent oyerheatingto a considerable extent, consequently making a much better product thanheretofore and at a greatly reduced cost-without unusual wear upon thefurnace n g, h ch is generally of carbon in electricalfur naces. i

If there is not-sufficient carbon in the material undertreatment by theold method the carbon of the :7 0 lining is liable tobe eaten away,destr oying the furnace to such an extent that it will have to be shut-down and a new lining provided, but by combining the ingredients in'the manner shown I am enabled to quickly reduce the material with theleast amount of disintegration of the furnace lining.

I claim: g 1. The process herein described f making phosphorus. saidprocess consisting in reducing a compound in which phosphorus is presentto fine granular form in which all .of the material is of substantiallythe same size, thoroughly mixing the compound and forming it intobriquets, lntroduclng the briquets into an electrical furnace, andacting on the material of the briquets by an electric current,substantially as described.

2. The process herein described of making phosphorus, said processconsisting in' first crushing the phosphates, sand 'or silicates andcoke independently, and calcining each at 0. red heat, then grinding theseveral ingredients so as to reduce them to small particles ofsubstantially the same size, mixing the several ingredients thus ground,adding a suitable bond and 'forming briquets of the material, and thenintroducing the said briquets into an electrical furnace whereby thecurrent will have the same action upon all the particles forming thebriquet so as to uniformly reduce the material, substantially asdescribed. 3. The process herein described of making phosphorus, saidprocess consisting in crushing the phosphates, sand or silicates andcoke, then calcining each at a red heat, grinding each ingredient sothat it will pass through an mesh screen, selecting a given quantity ofeach ingredient and thoroughly mixing the severalingredients, add- Iing' a suitable bond to the mixture, and forming the said mixture into abriquet, drying the briquet so as to free the water contained inthe'bond, then feeding the briquet to an electrlcalfurnace so that theelectric current will: act to uniformly reduce the material, formingphosphorus,

too

. substantially as described.

GILBERT C. I ANDIS.

War. A. Bun.

